Cardiology Coding Alert

Question: I saw a list of top reported codes for cardiology. Number two was Q9967. Should I be reporting Q9967 for services performed in a hospital setting?

New Jersey Subscriber

Answer: If you're coding for the cardiologist, not the hospital, you should not report Q9967 (Low osmolar contrast material,300- 399 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml). The hospital provides the contrast, so the hospital will be the one to claim reimbursement for the LOCM supply.

In contrast: When your practice bears the cost of the LOCM, you should choose the appropriate code based on the strength or quantity of iodine (mg) in each milliliter (ml) injected:

• Q9965 -- Low osmolar contrast material; 100-199 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml
• Q9966 -- ... 200-299 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml
• Q9967 -- ... 300-399 mg/ml iodine concentration, per ml.

For example, the "300" in the LOCM sold as Omnipaque 300 refers to 300 mg/ml. That means that the appropriate code for Omnipaque 300 is Q9967.

Units: The code descriptors indicate that you should report the codes "per ml." So for 100 ml of Omnipaque 300, you should report 100 units of Q9967.